


Chicken Soup - Comic Script

by ShivaeSyke



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Gen, faking sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShivaeSyke/pseuds/ShivaeSyke
Summary: Walter is sick, supposedly, and Barbara would like to take care of him, much to Jim's displeasure.
Relationships: Barbara Lake & Jim Lake Jr., Barbara Lake/Walter Strickler | Stricklander
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Chicken Soup - Comic Script

**Author's Note:**

> This is an unedited comic script. It's actually sparser than normal, but I'm tossing it up here because I'm not going to use it in this format. It would take too long. Instead, I'm going to adapt it into a much longer story in the future. That means things will change in it, since this references tv series events.

Jim making chicken soup: Soup's almost done, Mom!  
Barbara: Thank you, Jim, could you grab a thermos out of the cabinet and fill it?  
Jim: I, uh, thought I was making this for lunch?  
Barbara peeking in: Oh, you are. Walt called me this morning and let me know he was under the weather, so I thought I would take him lunch and keep him company for a few hours.  
Jim scowling.   
See salt shaker  
Jim grinning.

Thermos on table.  
"Thank you, sweetie. Barbara kissing Jim on the forehead.  
Jim coughing  
Barbara staring at him in concern as Jim states: It's going around? Don't stay too long, Mom. I think I might be coming down with something too.  
Barbara looking from Jim to the thermos: …   
She smiles: I'm on this.  
An hour later: Strickler is on the couch and Jim's in a nearby chair sulking.  
Strickler grinning: I see you overplayed your hand, young atlas. Maybe carrying the world on your shoulders would be easier if you minded your own business on occasion.

Jim: I know what you're doing.  
Strickler with bowl of soup: Whatever do you mean? I have a cold. *Sniffling* Maybe the flu. I haven't decided yet.  
Jim: You're not getting away with anything  
Strickler chuckling,   
Strickler spoon in mouth.  
Strickler gagging  
Strickler exclaiming: Did your mother make this soup?!  
Look up to see Barbara, arms crossed looking at them.

Strickler embarrassed, red in the face: You know how food can taste different when you're ill.  
Jim snickering in background  
Barbara: I know I'm an awful cook, you don't need to remind me.  
Jim grinning at an embarrassed Strickler, Barbara taking bowls away.  
Jim: Jim 1, Strickler, big zero!  
Strickler scowling at him.  
Strickler smiling a smug smile: If it's war you want, it's war you will get.  
Jim: You're on.

Barbara grumbling, bowl on counter.  
Barbara eyeing pot on stove and thermos on counter.  
Barbara spoon in hand, standing over pot, tasting it: This is fine.  
Barbara spoon in hand, standing over thermos.  
Barbara making a face.  
JIM! Yelled off panel - Jim hand over face, grimacing while Strickler is giving him the side eye: Jim, negative 1. Walter, 1.   
Jim: Negative 1?  
Strickler: A point for you doing yourself in and a point for inability to hide the evidence.

Jim whispering: Why are you even back? I thought my mom was still in the I HATE WALT stage!  
Strickler sitting comfortably, eating a new bowl of soup: I just want to keep you two safe.  
Jim making a face: Last time you wanted to 'keep me safe' you threw knives at me!  
Strickler: Sometimes you have to show someone how much danger they are in to make them do what you want.  
Strickler enjoying the soup: This is quite delicious, Jim. I would like the recipe, if you don't mind.  
Jim glowering: We are NOT friends.

Strickler: Well, no, I'm your teacher, which reminds me. Have you given any thought to more training?  
Jim: Blinky said no.  
Strickler chuckling: Blinky isn't here. Draal isn't here. Nobody is here but me, you, and your mom.  
Jim: All the more reason to say no.  
Barbara calling off panel: I just got a call from the clinic, I need to go out for a few hours.  
Strickler grinning at Jim, who's glaring back.

Barbara in her scrubs: I'll bring back dinner, Jim, Walt's in charge.  
Jim gesturing to Walter who's eating his soup with a smug smile: I am too old for a babysitter! I spend most of the time you're at work watching myself!  
Barbara frowning at Jim: Yes, and I get a lot of guilt from that fact, latchkey Jim.  
Jim frowning, getting the look.  
Jim: I can take care of myself.  
Barbara turning to leave: I know you can, but you shouldn't have to.

Strickler and Jim sitting as Strickler finishes his soup.  
Strickler holding out the bowl - Jim staring at it.  
Jim not moving: You have legs.  
Strickler balancing the bowl on one finger, while Jim stares.  
Bowl falls.  
Jim dives to catch it.

Jim on the floor, scowling at him: Don't do that. My mom will notice if one of her best sets of dishes is missing a bowl.  
Strickler swinging his legs out from under blanket, rubbing his hand over his chin in thought.  
Jim returning to living room, eyes narrowed: You need to leave now and I'll tell mom you're all-  
Jim eyes wide.  
Strickler staring at Jim, eyes glowing: I think we should have a little training session, just you and me.

Strickler motioning to the door: Outside.  
Jim scowling: Blinky told me-  
Strickler: Outside.  
Jim: Nooo, I'm going up to my room.  
Strickler shifting, half and half in a rush to cut Jim off.  
Strickler looming over him, pointing: Outside.

Jim and Stricklander face to face.  
Jim suddenly smiling: Make me.  
Jim, amulet held up: For the glory of-  
Stricklander finger on Jim's mouth, note the ring on his right pointer finger.  
Jim mouth open, nothing coming out.  
Jim clapping his hand over his mouth.  
Stricklander showing off the ring: This would have come in handy on so many occasions in class. I can't believe nobody else thought that perhaps, the best way to defeat you would be preventing you from speaking.

Jim making faces.  
Stricklander, once again: Let's go outside and have a little lesson, shall we?  
Jim making faces.  
Jim suddenly getting an idea, smiling.  
Stricklander glowering: Jim.  
Jim reaching out with a finger, touching a vase.  
Vase tipping.

Stricklander diving for the vase  
Vase caught, looking horrified.  
Stricklander getting up.  
Vase put back on table.  
Stricklander turning to see Jim knocking photo and other items off table.

Stricklander grabbing everything.  
Putting things back: I don't understand what you are attempting to do, but you need to stop doing it immediately.  
Crashing sounds, Stricklander in a panic.  
In the kitchen, Jim tossing a few plates into the air.  
Stricklander catching them.

Stricklander looming over Jim, plates in hand.  
Plates on the counter.  
Stricklander snagging Jim by the back of his jacket: Stop acting like a child. Your mother left me in charge.  
Jim giving Stricklander a smug smile.  
Stricklander scowling: Oh, I see now. 

Stricklander holding Jim still: Very clever. You make a mess and you will only get grounded, but I will be held responsible and Barbara will be angry with me. That is incredibly clever.  
Stricklander: Devious, underhanded, and honestly I am proud of you.  
Stricklander face to face with Jim now, hands on his shoulders: However, your interference is unnecessary and frankly, ridiculous. I'm returning your speech now so we can discuss this.  
Jim scowling.  
Jim jerking free.

Stricklander attempting to catch him: Stop that at once!  
Jim managed to catch Stricklander, throwing him.  
Stricklander smashes through the glass dividing the kitchen from living room.  
Jim staring in horror.  
Broken glass, Stricklander's voice from other side, hand in the air pointing: I am NOT taking responsibility for that!

Stricklander one one side of the divide, Jim on the other: My mother is going to kill me! You're the adult, do something!  
Stricklander making a face as bits of glass fall: What do you expect me to do? I don't work with glass.  
Jim: I don't know! Magically fix it! I swear, I'll do anything you want me to do, just fix this!  
Stricklander making more faces: …  
Jim: You have all those magic books, and you don't have a single thing that can repair a glass wall?  
Stricklander hands upraised, grimacing: Books on opening portals, destruction, and mayhem do not contain incantations to fix things!

Jim: Wow, you are really useless.  
Stricklander making a face.  
Stricklander frowning, turned away.  
Stricklander shifting back to his human form: I will get a broom.  
The pair of them cleaning up the glass.

Stricklander working on prying the glass out of the frame, carefully: We will say I slipped and fell against the wall and it broke. I will take care of the cost of getting the glass replaced.  
Jim holding up a trash can: Uh, thank you.  
Stricklander frowning: I am not useless. I just can not help you in the ways you expect.  
Stricklander: But I do want to help.  
Jim: You could stay away from my mother. That would be the best thing you can do.  
Stricklander turned away again.

Stricklander sitting on couch, flipping through a random book in silence. Jim sitting in chair.  
Strickklander: I will leave when she gets home.  
Jim: Yay.  
Stricklander: Young Atlas, there is something you need to think about. Atlas didn't choose to carry the weight of the world, it was a punishment. A punishment for choosing the wrong side and losing.  
Jim scowling: He didn't actually hold the world, but the heavens on his shoulders.  
Strickler steepling his fingers: Atlas sought to control the heavens and in a way, he got what he wanted, holding them up. Every day Atlas endured, he witnessed every glorious sunrise and every sunset. 

Strickler. As long as Atlas endured, by myth, those sunrises and sunsets continued, even in supposed defeat, because Atlas lived.  
Jim looking thoughtful: And that is all I want, for you and your mother to be safe and alive, but first, you must fight and win. You can not always follow the rules. Following the rules against people who do not follow the rules will most often get you killed.  
Jim: We'll agree to disagree. I can do this without being like you.  
Strickler: It's easy to make that choice when you are sitting in a comfortable chair, safe in your home, but when that choice must be made in reality, you will not have that luxury.

Jim eyes to side, glaring at Strickler: I will never be like you.  
Strickler frowning: Perhaps, but not likely. You are free to prove me wrong.

Strickler scowling: Honestly, I will be impressed if you prove me wrong, Jim. However, I do not believe it is likely.  
Strickler: You make me out to be a monster, even when I'm trying to help you.  
Jim scowling: After all the things you've done to us, to me, to my mom? And you keep coming back!  
Strickler: As do all stray dogs when someone feeds them. Not always the nicest creatures, mangy, uncared for, sick and diseased, seeking out a single kindness in their wretched existence.  
Jim looking mildly horrified and ashamed at the point.  
Strickler eyes glowing: Do not look at me like that. Pity is far worse than revulsion and I do not need nor want it.

Jim: I'm sorry?  
Strickler scowling.  
Strickler's face taking on a sadder look.  
Jim biting his lower lip: I'm sorry.  
Strickler staring at his cup of coffee: So am I.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I felt there was an important thing missing about the whole Atlas references in the series and wanted to address them in a new way. :D


End file.
